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3/22/11

Anwar denies he is man in sex video

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim denied on Monday that he was the man in the Feb 21 sex video revealed to journalists earlier Monday.

“I sternly deny this scurrilous attack.”

He said that he was at home with PKR staff, his wife, children, grandchildren and tweeting on that day and at that time.

The sex video’s time stamp on Feb 21 was from 10.23pm to 10.45pm.

Anwar with the help of his wife Dr Wan Azizah (right) showing reporters his stomach during the press conference

Anwar said that he was told that man in the sex video looked very much like him except his stomach was bigger (perut buncit).

He stood up and quipped: “See, I’m slimmer.”

He described the video “as a good but not a perfect job.”

Anwar was speaking at a packed press conference flanked by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and other top party leaders.

On a more serious note, he said that the sex video was just the latest attack by his political enemies ahead of the Sarawak polls expected some time in April.

Sarawak’s state assembly was dissolved Monday and the Election Commission will meet Wednesday to decide on the polling day.

Earlier Monday, newsmen were shown a 22-minute video, showing a man resembling Anwar having sex with a woman, by a man who identified himself only as Datuk T. He claimed the video was recorded on Feb 21 in a local hotel room.

In the video, when the man leaves the room briefly, the woman rummages through his things and takes a watch.

Datuk T showed an Omega watch to journalists when he held the screening of the sex video earlier Monday and claimed that the watch was Anwar’s.

Asked about the watch, Anwar confirmed he owned an Omega watch and that the watch was with his wife.

He also said he did not know who Datuk T was.

“I call on the parties (behind this sex video) to stop dragging the public and country into dirty and obscene politics,” he said.

“It is a desperate act and the timing is perfect.

“Everytime we face elections – in 1999, 2004 and 2008 and now again.”

“Our members and supporters will not be generally duped into believing these claims,” he said.

Asked if he intended to make a police report, he said: “ I don’t know. I have not seen it (video). I have been advised by my lawyers that once we have found evidence, we can lodge a police report.”

Datuk T had said that he wanted the man in the video and his wife to step down within a week or he would make the video public through certain NGOs.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution challenged the mysterious Datuk T to reveal himself before making accusations against Anwar.

“Who is this Datuk T? We cannot just respond to any Tom, Dick or Harry. He is brave enough to challenge Anwar, but does not dare to expose himself. There needs to be some credibility,” Saifuddin said when contacted.

He said the entire exercise was a sign of Umno’s and Barisan Nasional’s desperation in their bid to demolish Anwar.

“This has been part of a failed smear campaign for the past 12 years.

"This was also timed to divert attention away from issues of corruption and scandal in Sarawak,” he said adding he was confident the party would pass this ‘test’ because of his firm belief that Anwar had been made a victim.

PKR’s Batu MP Tian Chua, in his tweet, described the “special viewing of a doctored video of Anwar Ibrahim” to the media as a desperate tactic by Barisan Nasional to distract the debate from policies and governance ahead of the Sarawak polls.

“(Barisan) shifted to focus on smearing and character assassination. The whole purpose of the exercise is to smear (Anwar’s name).

"The people who presented the video viewing in Carcosa this morning won’t even reveal their identities,” he said.

Tian Chua said he expected the mainstream media to play the story “to the extreme”.